Fire-brick.



9 U ITED STATES Patented January 31, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE. 7

' FRANK A. Wmnows, on STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.

FIRE-BRICK:

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,255, dated J amiary 31 1905.

A Application filed m 12,19o SeriaINo. zoaesi.

T0 (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK A..WIDDOW.S, a citizen of the UnitedIStates, and a resident of the city of Stockton, county of. San Joaquin, State of California, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Fire-Brick, of which the following is a full, clear, and suflicient specification.

My invention has reference to the art of preparing fire brick composed of such ingredients in certain proportions as will be hereinafter shown,'so as to render such bricks, in effect, practically indestructible against the direct application of intense heat to such prepared brick.

I first prepare a vehicle as follows: To a proportion of my entire formula of about ten per cent. of dry fireclay previously pulverized I add water suflicient to render the mixture plastic. I then add a proportion of about fifteen per cent. of thoroughly-pulverized charcoal and a proportion of about seventyfive per cent., thoroughly pulverized, of the metal known as f chromium or, in trade parlance, as chrome. The fire-clay, charcoal, and chromium, as will be seen by theabove description, constitute my complete formula and having thus beencombined are then well stirred and readily unite. I then mold the mixture into plastic masses'of any desired size and dry the same in thesun or dryingchamber in order that the water, hygrometrically combined with the clay, may be driven intact in position in my improved firebrick away or absorbed by the atmosphere. When this is accomplished, the product is placed in the burning clamps or kilns, at which stage of preparation the action of the heat drives off the chemically -combined water or moisby reason of the tenacious nature of its com panion ingredient, fireclay, and its oWn naturev being difficult of fusion resists to a superlative degree the action of intense heat in furnace, kilns, and the like.

I do not claim any general rule as to the quantities of ingredients to be used in the preparation of my improved fire-brick. as that must necessarily depend upon the class of fireclays or brick earths used; but in pure clays, consisting chiefly of alumina and silica, the percentage of proportions I have narrated is recommended. If desired for the purposes of ornament, my method of producing indestructible fire-brick permits of the introduction into its composition of lime, hydrated oxid of iron, and otherv ingredients, thus producing different desired colors; butImakeno claimto such admixture, but confine myself to the original ingredients as herein first set forth and the reactions caused during the various stages of the preparation of my improved fire-bricks caused by the departure of the water and charcoal. Another use to which the composition of matter. forming my improved fire-brick may be applied is that of applying the same in its general mass when prepared for molding into brick directly to the sides, top, and bottom of the interior of furnaces and the like as a plaster. As before stated, I do not desire to limit myself to the precise proportion of the ingredients as hereinbefore described, as it is evident that the same may be varied without departing from the spirit of myinvention. 4

I usually employ in the construction of my improved fire-brick the form of a parallelopipedon-say about nine inches long, five inches broad, and four inches thick; but I do not limit myself to any stated size or shape. It is I claim thus comprehensively shown that the composition of. together with the method of preparing, my improved fire-brick renders the finished productindestructible to the highdirect application of heat produced by the combustion of anthracitecoalor petroleum, either crude or in 1ts varlous refined forms.

Having thus described my invention, I 'claim 1. As a neW article of manufacture a firebrick composed of fire-clay, charcoal and chr0- mium substantially in the proportions specified.

2. The art or process of preparing fire-brick consisting of pulverizing fire-clay, mixing it With Water, adding pulverized charcoal and pulverized chromium, mixing same, forming the compound into plastic masses, drying such masses, and then subjecting the same to the action of aproper degree of heat, substantially as shown.

8. In a fire-brick, the combination substantially as shoWn of a proper proportion of pulverized fire-clay and pulverized charcoal With pulverized chromium, in about the proportions specified.

4. The combination, in plastic masses, of pulverized moist fire-clay, and pulverized charcoal, With pulverized chromium, for the purposes specified.

5. An indestructible lire-brick composed of moist pulverized fire-clay, pulverized charcoal and pulverized chromium stirred together, the mixture formed into plastic masses, such masses then being subjected to the action of a dry atmosphere, and of fire substantially as shown.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

FRANK A. VVIDDOW S.

Witnesses:

PERCY S. WEBsTER, JOSHUA B. WEBs'rER. 

